BMW
Z4 / BMW Z4 Roadster
The BMW Z4 is a rear-wheel drive sports
car by the German automaker BMW, known as the E85 in
roadster form and E86 in coupe form. Production started
in 2002, and thus replaced the BMW Z3. The design addresses
many criticisms of the Z3; the Z4 is larger, and has
a significantly stiffer chassis. It was built in Spartanburg,
South Carolina. Initially, the Z4 was available as
a roadster, but in 2006 a coupé version was
officially launched.
The Z4 was designed by Chris Bangle
and began the controversy over his "flame surfacing" design
and aggressive styling choices, which can also be seen
on most modern BMW cars, most noticeably the 7 Series
and 5 Series. As of 2007, the entire BMW car line,
including the BMW 3 Series and X5 SAV, had incorporated
Chris Bangle's design theme.
The Z4 features a strut type front
suspension like its predecessor, the Z3. The rear suspension,
however is considerably different from that of the
Z3, which was based on that of the E30 BMW 3 Series.
Instead of a semi-trailing arm suspension, the Z4 uses
a more advanced multi-link suspension. |